Student Life October 2019

MENTAL HEALTH & NATURE
BY GRACE SMITH, IMAGE CREDIT GRACE SMITH
Leaving home for university and living
independently for the first time, was both
an exciting and daunting experience.
Especially as someone who is not originally
from Ipswich or Suffolk, and who had very
little familiarity with the area beforehand.
That was two and half years ago now,
and as I approach the end of my studies, I
would like to reflect on the important role
nature has played in easing the transition.
Particularly, how it has encouraged me
to develop healthier coping mechanisms
when it comes to feelings of anxiety and
depression.
We live in an exceedingly digital
world, dominated by screens.
Students especially seem to spend the
majority of their time indoors in lessons,
or on a computer doing assignments, and
I’ve definitely felt the impact of this within
my final year. As the assignments become
bigger and the deadlines seemingly closer
together, it’s easy to neglect taking care
of yourself both mentally and physically
during these times. It’s because of this,
I’ve often been left feeling burned out as
deadlines loomed and I exhausted myself
to meet them.
However, to temporarily disconnect and
recuperate, I regularly go on long walks,
which help me to unwind and refocus my
distracted mind.
During my first year, when I was still
new to the area, I liked to explore and
discovered some of the parks nearby my
accommodation at the time. Even now,
I might occasionally go to the park to
feed the ducks when I’m feeling anxious,
depressed, or if my mind feels a bit too
chaotic to carry on with work. Being out in
nature like this gives me time to reflect and
be introspective, and instead of ignoring
my own overall wellbeing to produce
another assignment, I take the time to
create a mental self-care checklist of the
things I need to do that would improve my
overall wellbeing.
On these walks, it’s nice to just enjoy the
fresh air and sunshine, so that when I get
home I am in a more collected state of
mind to plan what I need to do next.
So, perhaps disconnecting isn’t the right
word, as nature helps me to re-establish
a connection between my mind and body,
and to reconnect with the world outside of
coursework.
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